A known human body detecting sensor for a vehicle including a parallel cable as a non-contact sensor, which detects an approach of a user in a non-contacting manner, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-308149. The parallel cable is accommodated in a hollow portion formed inside of a door handle for opening and closing a vehicle door. According to the disclosed human body detecting device for a vehicle, when the approach of a registered user to the vehicle door is recognized, first a control signal is transmitted to just allow a release of a door lock. Next, when the human body detecting sensor detects that the door handle is gripped to be opened, the door lock is then actually released.
When a user operates the door handle, his hand normally contacts with a front or back surface of the door handle. The disclosed human body detecting sensor is provided in the middle position of the door handle, i.e., provided rather far from both the front and the back surfaces of the door handle. Thus the effect of detecting the human body may not be always sufficient on both the front and the back surfaces of the door handle.
Recently, vehicles have been provided with an antenna for communicating with the outside of the vehicle. The antenna is provided in a space inside of the door handle and therefore, the human body detecting sensor is such that the antenna should be accommodated in a limited space in the door handle. In this case, only one sensor for detecting the human body is used and is provided in the vicinity of either the front surface or the back surface of the door handle. The human body detecting element cannot be provided in the vicinity of both surfaces of the door, handle so that only one surface can provide a preferred sensitivity to detect the human body.
For purposes of design or texture, an ornamental plating may be applied on resin or the door handle may be made of a metal. In this case, however, the known human body detecting sensor cannot provide a sufficient detecting function or cannot detect the human body appropriately.
Thus, a need exists for the human body detecting device which addresses at least the foregoing drawback associated with other known human body detecting devices.